British 'extremely misguided' on water use

UK consumers use five times more water than they realise, despite 81% of Brits expressing that they are conscious about their water usage, a survey has revealed.

The research, carried out by bathroom manufacturer Ideal Standard, says that even with droughts and hosepipe bans in the UK, nearly one in 10 people (9%) believe that with heavy rainfall, water saving measures are not necessary.

The survey shows that the average person estimated they use 29 litres of water per day but that in reality the average use is 150 litres per person per day.

Furthermore half of respondents (47%) state that they have never considered installing water saving products in their homes.

Ideal Standard water saving expert Tony Rheinberg said: "Unfortunately it seems that people are still extremely misguided about how much water they use and waste daily, and hence aren't taking the opportunities available to them to save water where they can.

"Our research shows that those living alone or with family are more conscious of their water use than those living in shared households, in all likelihood because they have more control over their household's water usage and often pay the bills singlehandedly.

"Bearing in mind people are living longer in shared housing because they can't afford to buy, it is even more important that consumers are fully educated on water saving to prevent a long-term trend towards increased water waste."